Because my blog is so many things (lifestyle, writing, fashion, journal, etc.) I'm combining the many elements I use on this blog into one post to give an overview of this year's trip. I hope you enjoy this scrapbook-like post about my favorite place on earth.
Chris and I worked Friday so we drove up after work and arrived at the condo late Friday night. But the next morning we woke up and prepared for String Lake. String Lake is a beautiful small lake to canoe, paddleboard, or swim. It's rocky but it's a great place to hang out, and we go here every year.
So from left to right in the above picture we have my cousin Brandon, sister Michelle, cousin Ryan, brother Nick, me, and then Chris. This trip is a family thing. It's my grandma's condos that we stay in and my family and my Aunt Cherene's family goes. I realized I really didn't take many pictures this year, but we were joined also by my Aunt Cherene, Uncle Jeff, their oldest son Nate, his wife Kara, and their almost 2 year old Will, and then, of course, my parents and Grandma. It's a big group and it's the best.
This was the first year I tried Paddleboarding. I didn't like standing up on it even though everyone else was saying I had good balance. The second day we went to String Lake I sat on the paddleboard and rode around by myself and it was super relaxing. I liked it a lot.
Sunday we went to a visitors sacrament meeting for church then got ready for the Phelps Lake hike. We didn't go around the whole lake, just went to it and back. But next year we want to explore the other hikes in that area, because it's beautiful.
This hike was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I'm thinking it's mostly because of how out of shape I am. But it's honestly so beautiful and I had a good talk with my brother during the hike about dogs and what he wants to do for college and life.
Monday we hiked hidden falls. If you go to Jackson this is probably the hike I recommend the most. It's a good steady hike without being too difficult, my grandma used to do this hike with us so it's a fairly easy one. It leads to one of the most beautiful waterfalls, which I'm obsessed with.
After that we went to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. It was cool and interesting. We also walked around the town with my brother. Downtown Jackson Hole is an amazing place. The stores are great, the sidewalks are wood, and everything has just a great feel to it. Of course, one of the best and most iconic places is the elk antler archways in the center of town square.
They also have a lot of benches with statues and Chris had a conversation with President Lincoln.
Tuesday we went white water rafting and it was AWESOME! I don't have any pictures because the only camera I had on the trip was my phone and taking my phone on the raft didn't sound like a great idea. It was freezing that day though and I was cold the rest of the day from getting soaked near the front of the raft. Chris fell out during some minor rapids and he just laughed it off and we helped him back it. It was such a fun rafting trip.
Later Tuesday we rode the gondola up the Tetons to The Deck restaurant. They have such good fries and we tried these battered vegetables with sauce and they were delicious! I also had hot chocolate because up on the mountain it was freezing.
(WIW; Jacket: Kohls, Shoes: K-Mart, Pants: ???, HEY! So if you're ever wondering where Chris gets his clothes, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer. I'm also considering having him join me for a few fashion posts just to get more variety on my blog, let me know what you think of that idea!)
Wednesday we went back to String Lake. I don't have pictures for that day. My cousin Ryan and I swam basically across the lake and back and I woke up the next morning completely sore. It was such a good workout for me! Chris didn't join us that day and went fishing instead, but he didn't catch anything.
Thursday we hung out around town most the day. Later in the day my mom, sister, and I went on a bike ride. It had been like five years since I'd ridden my bike and people lie, you can forget how to ride a bike. But I didn't crash or anything and I did just fine, but it was a workout because it had been so long and my bike seat it ridiculously hard so sitting hasn't been fun for me. That night we went out to a Mexican place called El Abuelito, and it was delicious.
Even later that night we played One Night Ultimate Werewolf
, which we had been playing every night of the trip. That night we played outside in the condo's gazebo with glowsticks and eating Crayola's version of Pixie-Sticks. That game is awesome and if you've never played it, you should. Chris and I are going to invest and buy it ourselves because it really is so much fun and you need to have a different strategy every single game.
And that leads us to today, where Chris and I drove back to Logan stopping at the Oregon Trail Museum in Montpelier.
This was such a fun trip this year and I'm going to miss being there and getting back into a regular routine. If you haven't been to Jackson Hole, I hope this gives you an idea of how much there is to do there. I honestly suggest this as a vacation spot for anyone who loves the outdoors. There is literally so much to do there and I love everything about that place!
What trips have you been on this summer and where's your favorite vacation spot? Let me know in the comments below!
